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'Killzone 2' (PS3) Developer Q&A

Killzone 2 throws players back into the midst of a hostile and dramatic ongoing battle between the ISA and Helghast army, delivering intense warfare with incredibly lifelike character animations, highly detailed and destructible environments, realistic physics, and advanced levels of AI.

Q: How big is the team currently at Guerrilla?

GG: 135 people

Q: Please describe the work atmosphere at Guerrilla.

GG: It’s a very creative environment, with a great international workforce. We have over 20 different nationalities inside the studio.

Q: What is the premise of Killzone 2?

GG: It’s 2 years later and the ISA are invading the Helghast home planet of Helghan. The goal is to capture the Helghast leader and bring the war machine to a halt.

Q: What inspired the team to come up with the Killzone world?

GG: We have a great number of team members who love First Person Shooters and we wanted to have elements of the great conflicts of the 20th century depicted in the Killzone franchise.

Q: What does the PS3 allow you to do with development of Killzone 2 that you have not been able to do before?

GG: For us, we need a great deal of processing power. The PS3 really allows us to build Killzone 2 on a grand scale with a level of detail that is truly eye-catching. To give you an example, our character models on screen use the same amount of polygons as an entire level of Killzone on PS2.

Q: How is the Killzone franchise different from other first-person shooters and what makes it unique?

GG: What has always made Killzone unique is it’s about a realistic influence with a twist. We take inspiration from conflicts of the 20th century, but we don’t set the game on Earth or use historical reference for location or setting.

Q: What are some of the key impressions you want to make with gamers after seeing Killzone 2?

GG: We want people who see the game to say “Wow! What a rush!” We hope that they see the level of detail, intensity, and chaos we have put into building the game and are really excited to see and hear their reactions.

Q: Did any military personnel or other professional advisors help with the design of Killzone 2?

GG: Not military, but we did work with Hollywood special effects people and weapon experts from a variety of fields. We’ve captured things like muzzle flashes, reloads, and how a weapon feels and reacts in your hand. We want it to be as realistic as possible.

Q: What can players expect to see in terms of new environments and will they be interactive?

GG: Killzone 2 is a hostile theater of war, with a gritty look to the environments that players will find are highly dynamic and destructible. We’re introducing a completely new planet so there are numerous environments that will be unique in the game.

Q: In terms of A.I., what changes/improvements are you seeing and what do you hope to accomplish by the time the game ships?

GG: We are bringing very dynamic environments and the AI must deal with the nuances in each by intelligently navigating and fighting through the world. Enemies will also be able to see at night with their goggles so we wanted to make their actions accurate even in darkness.

Q: How does the team feel about the current progress of the game when everyone has been so focused on the E3 2005 target video?

GG: The level we showed at our event is a very important milestone for the team since this is the first anyone has seen of the game. We are very proud of the game’s progress to date and look forward to having more available for you all soon.